Essential Oils in Pet shampoo bars

[wildmountainheather]

Hello!
I found a few recipes for dog shampoo bars and tried one today. It called for lavender, peppermint and eucalyptus essential oils. After I made it, I did a little research about those oils for dogs and many articles said not to use peppermint or eucalyptus oils for dogs. My question is, with all of the oils in soap, would the essential oils be diluted enough to be safe for dogs?

 

[GemstonePony]

Hello! Would you be able to provide the recipe and amounts for everything you used?

 

[dibbles]

I wouldn't use a lye based shampoo on my dog. One thing you might consider is, in addition to skin safety, that dogs have a highly developed sense of smell. What may seem to be not too strong to you, could likely be overpowering for a dog. A quick google search didn't turn up anything negative about eucalyptus, but I didn't take a very in depth look. Peppermint seems that it might be a problem. If this is for your own dog, you have to make your own decision about it. If this is to sell, I wouldn't. Lavender and cedar are dog friendly, I believe, and are nice blended together.

 

[wildmountainheather]

I wouldn't use a lye based shampoo on my dog. One thing you might consider is, in addition to skin safety, that dogs have a highly developed sense of smell. What may seem to be not too strong to you, could likely be overpowering for a dog. A quick google search didn't turn up anything negative about eucalyptus, but I didn't take a very in depth look. Peppermint seems that it might be a problem. If this is for your own dog, you have to make your own decision about it. If this is to sell, I wouldn't. Lavender and cedar are dog friendly, I believe, and are nice blended together.

Thanks for the information. To be honest, I'm nervous about using it on my dogs now. I think they may need to become regular soap bars for humans. Peppermint and Eucalyptus kept coming up as poisonous to dogs in many articles, but there were a few that said it was ok with a carrier oil. Better safe than sorry, thanks for confirming what I was thinking.

 

[GemstonePony]

That seems like a lot of EO, particularly for an animal with a sensitive nose.
Off-topic, but I notice this recipe is 66% coconut oil, which is over 4 times as much as I would use on my skin. Given that most vets and groomers I've met considered over-stripping to be the main source of skin conditions, this recipe seems a little odd.
But, I'm not a professional groomer, so what do I know?

 

[shunt2011]

I too wouldn’t use it on my dogs. My dogs already have sensitive skin and I asked my vet about it years ago and was told the PH was too high for their skin. I also think it’s a lot of EO for use on pets. I use shampoo with no fragrance on my dogs. I suppose it’s a personal choice. I’m sure you’ll get someone saying they use it on their dogs.

 

[wildmountainheather]

I appreciate all the feedback. I’m going to keep the soap and use if for myself. It smells wonderful! I’m also going to adjust the coconut oil percentage and see how it feels. I’ve never been dried out by my bars, but I’m all for more moisturizing!

 

[Treats Soapworks]

Hello!
I found a few recipes for dog shampoo bars and tried one today. It called for lavender, peppermint and eucalyptus essential oils. After I made it, I did a little research about those oils for dogs and many articles said not to use peppermint or eucalyptus oils for dogs. My question is, with all of the oils in soap, would the essential oils be diluted enough to be safe for dogs?

Be careful with just any recipe for animals, the ph of their skin is way different than peoples. People have an acidic profile while a dogs skin is alkaline.
Here is a good explanation

http://www.fur-everloved.com/5533/ph-level-of-a-dogs-epidermis-never-use-human-products-on-pets/
There are a lot of articles but this is a pretty decent explanation.

As far as oils go, mints can irritate sensitive skin, I would check a vet forum or breeders forum to see if there is any issue with oils you may want to use.